Florida Senate - 2009                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS/CS/HJR 919, 1st Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 908080                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       Senator Bullard moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with ballot amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 15 - 89
    4  and insert:
    5                             ARTICLE IX                            
    6                              EDUCATION                            
    7         SECTION 1. Public education.—
    8         (a) The education of children is a fundamental value of the
    9  people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount
   10  duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education
   11  of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision
   12  shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and
   13  high quality system of free public schools that allows students
   14  to obtain a high quality education and for the establishment,
   15  maintenance, and operation of institutions of higher learning
   16  and other public education programs that the needs of the people
   17  may require. To assure that children attending public schools
   18  obtain a high quality education, the legislature shall make
   19  adequate provision to ensure that, by the beginning of the 2010
   20  2011 2010 school year and for each school year thereafter, there
   21  are a sufficient number of classrooms so that:
   22         (1) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   23  teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
   24  prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students;
   25         (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   26  teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for grades 4
   27  through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and
   28         (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   29  teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for grades 9
   30  through 12 does not exceed 25 students.
   31         (b)Upon confirmation that schools have met the class size
   32  requirements of subsection (a) through the October student
   33  membership survey each year, schools may exceed these
   34  requirements in the event of unexpected student enrollment
   35  growth with the following restrictions:
   36         (1)The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   37  teacher in an individual classroom for prekindergarten through
   38  grade 3 does not exceed 21 students;
   39         (2)The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   40  teacher in an individual classroom for grades 4 through 8 does
   41  not exceed 27 students; and
   42         (3)The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   43  teacher in an individual classroom for grades 9 through 12 does
   44  not exceed 30 students.
   45  
   46  The class size requirements of subsections (a) and (b) this
   47  subsection do not apply to extracurricular or virtual classes.
   48  Payment of the costs associated with reducing class size to meet
   49  these requirements is the responsibility of the state and not of
   50  local school schools districts. Beginning with the 2003-2004
   51  fiscal year, The legislature shall provide sufficient funds to
   52  maintain reduce the average number of students required by
   53  subsections (a) and (b) in each classroom by at least two
   54  students per year until the maximum number of students per
   55  classroom does not exceed the requirements of this subsection.
   56         (c)(b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be
   57  provided by the State a high quality prekindergarten pre
   58  kindergarten learning opportunity in the form of an early
   59  childhood development and education program which shall be
   60  voluntary, high quality, free, and delivered according to
   61  professionally accepted standards. An early childhood
   62  development and education program means an organized program
   63  designed to address and enhance each child's ability to make age
   64  appropriate progress in an appropriate range of settings in the
   65  development of language and cognitive capabilities and
   66  emotional, social, regulatory, and moral capacities through
   67  education in basic skills and such other skills as the
   68  Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
   69         (d)(c) The early childhood education and development
   70  programs provided by reason of subsection (c) subparagraph (b)
   71  shall be implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005
   72  school year through funds generated in addition to those used
   73  for existing education, health, and development programs.
   74  Existing education, health, and development programs are those
   75  funded by the State as of January 1, 2002, that provided for
   76  child or adult education, health care, or development.
   77                             ARTICLE XII                           
   78                              SCHEDULE                             
   79         SECTION 31.Class size requirements for public schools.The
   80  amendment to Section 1 of Article IX, which provides flexibility
   81  for schools to meet class size requirements for public schools
   82  due to unexpected student growth after the October student
   83  membership survey, and this section shall take effect upon
   84  approval by the electors and shall operate retroactively to the
   85  beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
   86  
   87  
   88  ====== B A L L O T  S T A T E M E N T  A M E N D M E N T ======
   89         And the ballot statement is amended as follows:
   90         Delete lines 90 - 115
   91  and insert:
   92         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
   93  placed on the ballot:
   94                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT                     
   95                        ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1                      
   96                       ARTICLE XII, SECTION 31                     
   97         REVISION OF THE CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC
   98  SCHOOLS.—Proposes amendment of the State Constitution to provide
   99  flexibility for schools to meet class size requirements for
  100  public schools due to unexpected student growth after the
  101  October student membership survey. For public school classrooms
  102  for prekindergarten through grade 3, for grades 4 through 8, and
  103  for grades 9 through 12, upon confirmation that a school has met
  104  class size requirements through the October student membership
  105  survey, provides a limit on the maximum number of students who
  106  may be assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom.
  107  Provides that class size requirements do not apply to virtual
  108  classes. Modifies requirements for funding to require that the
  109  Legislature provide sufficient funds to maintain class size
  110  requirements. Clarifies that class size requirements apply by
  111  the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year and for each school
  112  year thereafter. Schedules these revisions to take effect upon
  113  approval by the electors of this state and to operate
  114  retroactively to the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
  115